Larry Esvelt Earns Alumni Achievement Award

PULLMAN, Wash. — Longtime Spokane environmental engineer Larry A. Esvelt has
received the Alumni Achievement Award from Washington State University. The award was
presented at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board meeting on
April 22.
The 1961 WSU civil engineering graduate completed a doctorate in sanitary engineering at
the University of California at Berkeley in 1971. He has been principal of Esvelt Environmental
Engineering since 1976. The firm consults for water quality, wastewater treatment, industrial
waste management, and other reuse and reclamation water issues.
In 1984, he was recognized by Kootenai (Idaho) and Spokane counties for his engineering
work on the Rathdrum-Spokane aquifer. More recent community projects include those for Yelm,
Medical Lake and Pullman.
Esvelt is a registered professional engineer in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, New
Mexico, Oregon and Washington. He also is a Diplomate, a specialty certification, of the
American Academy of Environmental Engineers.
Esvelt has received a number of awards, including being named Engineer of the Year for
1981 by the Inland Empire Chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers. He also has received
the Spokane County Aquifer Protection Award from the Washington State Department of Health
Water Reuse Advisory Committee.
Since the 1980s, he has volunteered his service to WSU as a member of the Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board, served as an evaluator for CEE programs,
organized the professional lecture days at the department for 10 years, and returns to WSU to
talk to engineering classes.
“Larry proves that an undergraduate degree from WSU makes one competitive with anyone
in the world in this field,” says Michael Katona, chair of WSU’s CEE Department. “He
contributes immeasurably to the quality of life in the Inland Northwest and beyond, and
continues to support his alma mater.”
Esvelt is a past president of the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Society of Civil
Engineers, a member of the Engineering Accreditation Commission for the Accreditation Board
for Engineering Technology, and serves on the Design Advisory Board for Gonzaga University’s
School of Engineering. Other civic activities include Rotary Club, the National Federation of
Independent Businesses, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and Millwood Community
Presbyterian Church.
Esvelt came to WSU from Daisy (Stevens County), Wash. He lived in Stimson Hall and was
president of Sigma Tau engineering honorary, and a member of Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi
honor societies.
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